Meritage vs. Spoonriver in Bastille Day battle of crepes

In honor of Bastille Day, we thought it timely to add a little French flavor to this week's food fight. We gave both Minneapolis and St. Paul a shot at sidewalk crepe dominance, pitting Meritage's crepe cart in St. Paul against Spoonriver's crepe stand in Minneapolis.

Spoonriver serves up half a dozen kinds of savory and sweet crepes at the Mill City Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings, priced from $5.50 to $6.50. On a recent Saturday, the feature savory crepe was filled with goat cheese, herbs, and summer squash for $6.50. The crepe came hot off the griddle, where owner Brenda Langton herself was cooking, clad in a teal apron. The filling was spare, but the flavors were good--creamy cheese, sage, and thin slices of summer squash.

Meritage serves $4 crepes Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch, with one sweet and one savory offering (which are advertised on Meritage's twitter feed). Meritage has captured the romance of Parisian street food, setting up its stand on the sidewalk so diners order directly from the crepe cook and can chat with him while they wait. We tried a savory crepe filled with spinach, red onions, red and green peppers, a mustard mix, and Emmetaler cheese. The crepe was generously proportioned, and there were so many flavors in the filling every bite was exciting.

Meritage
410 Saint Peter St., St. Paul, 651.222.5670

Next page: The verdict

The winner: Meritage's crepes won out. They're bigger, cheaper, and the whole experience is a bit more refined. Stop by for a chat with the sidewalk chef over your lunch hour and walk away with a piping hot crepe (granted, on a paper plate).

Spoonriver's crepe stand is less of a destination than an incidental bonus at the Mill City Market. If you're already shopping the market and want a crepe, it's a treat--as long as you don't mind a short wait in line and a stop at the Guthrie's ATM, since they only take cash or check.